Emerging concepts in alcohol, infection & immunity: A summary of the 2023 alcohol and immunology research interest group (AIRIG) meeting

On December 8th 2023, the annual Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting was held at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. The 2023 meeting focused broadly on how acute and chronic alcohol exposure leads to immune dysregulation, and how this contributes to damage in multiple tissues and organs. These include impaired lung immunity, intestinal dysfunction, autoimmunity, the gut-Central Nervous System (CNS) axis, and end-organ damage. In addition, diverse areas of alcohol research covered multiple pathways behind alcohol-induced cellular dysfunction, including inflammasome activation, changes in miRNA expression, mitochondrial metabolism, gene regulation, and transcriptomics. Finally, the work presented at this meeting highlighted novel biomarkers and therapeutic interventions for patients suffering from alcohol-induced organ damage. •Alcohol increases bioactive lipids and impacts immune cell heterogeneity.•Albumin, RvD1, PIO treatment may alleviate alcohol-related tissue inflammation.•Intrinsic immune signaling by IRF3 and C5 induce ethanol-related pathologies.•The gut and associated dysbiosis by alcohol impacts autoimmunity and lung infection.•Alcohol use may result in excessive inflammation post-mild traumatic brain injury.